Upcoming Youth Events

This weeklong program, held this July 8-14, 2018, will feature hands-on classroom activities and numerous field trips to give you a first-hand look at the Rail & Intermodal Transportation Industry - the people who keep the world on the move!

Jul 8, 2018 12:00pm

Summer Youth Program in Rail & Intermodal Transportation

The summer youth program is a full week, in residence exploration of the rail industry and it's connections with other transportation modes. The program is run jointly by the Michigan Tech Rail Transportation Program and the University of Wisconsin - Superior. The program features hands on classroom activities and field trips to rail industry sites in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

Registration will open soon for the 2018 edition of the program - check back soon for updates!

In one such event, the RTP collaborated to offer a session on 'Things That Move' to elementary aged students (pictured below). This session assisted youth to design planes, boats, and cars; make a traffic safety plan for their classroom and for their neighbor-hood, design a bike helmet, and plan the best way to move freight across the country. The RTP facilitated a mag-lev rail activity for a session led by Mr. David Nelson, that included a short lesson on how mag-lev trains operate, and the opportunity to build a model mag-lev train platform.

Another event that sprang from this collaboration was a Family Transportation Night, held at the Chassell Public School in April, 2013. Elementary school students and their parents attended an inquiry-based activity led by Michigan Tech students. In 2014 RTP students and staff have continued to work with the Center to assist with programming.

National Summer Transportation Institute

Michigan Tech's National Summer Transportation Institute is a two-week residential program that allows students to explore career and educational paths supporting today's transportation industry and future needs. The Rail Transportation Program contributes to some of the sessions.

Travel to exciting locations like the Mackinac Bridge Authority, which oversees the third-longest suspension bridge in the world, and the Soo Locks shipping canal between Lake Superior and the Lower Great Lakes. Do hands-on group projects, meet other talented students, and take advantage of career opportunities that exist in the transportation industry. Michigan Tech's National Summer Transportation Institute is a two-week residential program that allows students to explore today's top transportation industries. Competitive Scholarships are available. To learn more about the National Summer Transportation Insitute click here.

Education Workshop Series for Detroit Public Schools

22 teachers from the Detroit area met to participate in Dr. Pasi Lautala’s rail transportation workshop, organized by Joan Chadde, on March 23, 2013. The purpose of the workshop was “…to introduce students to careers in transportation and provide teachers with a curriculum connection for teaching about transportation management via core subjects (math, science, social studies)”. Dr. Lautala captivated his audience with presentations on many aspects of the rail industry, and how rail activities work with other transportation modes to provide a complete transportation system, using his unique experience set as global expert in rail activities. The workshop included a field trip to the Norfolk Southern Railyard. Teacher comments at the end of the workshop included; “The workshop was perfect!” and “I have a push-pull science unit to teach and the trains are a great way to do that.”

Mind Trekkers Summer Camps

The Rail Transportation Program partners with Mind Trekkers with our Magnetic Levitation Track for sessions offered during youth programs in the summer at Michigan Tech.